City guide: Living in Munich

10th April 2011, 0 comments

In this German city guide on Munich, we set out the essentials for moving to the Bavarian capital Munich and forging a new life in Germany.

Munich is a city of tradition, wealth, and of course beer. Occasionally it's called the Northern Most city of Italy. The first thoughts of Germany typically draw ideas of beer, pretzels, festivals, and lederhosen, although these things are most common to the state of Bavaria, where Munich is the capital.

Not only is Munich popular on the tourist circuit, it is also a popular place for expats from a wide array of industries, including automotives, high-tech technology and electronics, film-making, and finance. It truly is a 'laptops and lederhosen' economy.

Where to live

Munich continues to be ranked as one Europe's most expensive cities, although it's also consistently ranked as having one of the best qualities of life in the entire world. The central location allows for ease of travel and the airport recently placed in the top five world wide, too.

Bavaria is home to the eight most expensive rural and urban municipalities, with Munich being over 100 percent more expensive than the national average. The average rent for a small one-bedroom, unfurnished apartment is between EUR 500 and EUR 700. For a three-bedroom unfurnished apartment the rent averages between EUR 1000 and EUR 1600.

It should also be noted that apartments are listed as ‘warm' or ‘cold' to denote whether utilities and heating are included or not. Oftentimes kitchens are not standard, so it may also be wise to budget for purchasing appliances and cabinetry.

Public transportation is widely used and accessible, so it helps to be close to an S-Bahn or U-Bahn line. Rents are highest in the inner city in areas with each neighbourhood having its own devotees.

Some popular neighbourhoods to live include:

Schwabing – close to the universities and therefore popular with students and the young.

Maxvorstadt -– centered around the art museums. It seamlessly melds into Schwabing with many small boutiques and restaurants.

Isarvorstadt – popular for nightlife as well as the city's gay quarter, including areas like the Glockenbachviertel.

Haidhausen – a charming location on the Right Bank of the Isar with professionals, easy access to the river, and many diverse restaurants.

Lehel – posh and expensive with apartments and homes of athletes and the ‘schicki-micki' fashionable set.

Bogenhausen – Luxurious centrally located villas and the city's old money.

Munich has a vast array of sports, regardless of the season, for both spectators and those that would like to be active themselves.

In addition to local teams, there is also an extensive network of vereine (associations) or clubs for virtually every imaginable sport. For starters you could consult the expat sports clubs listed under Expatica's groups and clubs.

Munich's golf courses

Anyone interested in golf will find themselves well served by Munich and its surroundings with more than 40 clubs in an around the Bavarian capital. This includes the Munchener Golf Club (08170 450), Margarethenhof Am Tegernsee Golf Club (08022 7506-0) Munchen-Riedhof Golf Club (08171 7065) and Tegernseer G C Bad Wiessee (08022 8769).

It's important to note that golfing in Germany requires a special licence, which may require additional certification.

Swimming in Munich

For those looking to take a dip or to swim for more regular exercise, there are about 17 public swimming pools dotted across Munich. The biggest is Olympia-Schwimmhalle at the Olympiapark. It costs EUR 3.90 and EUR 3.00 for students for 3 hours or a day pass can be purchased for EUR 7.00 and EUR 5.00 for students. A family day ticket can be purchased for those with children 13 and younger for EUR 14.80.

If you are interested in swimming against a rather dramatic backdrop then you should try Müllersches Volksbad (Müller's Public Baths), Rosenheimer Strasse 1. Completely renovated, the baths were designed in the early 1900s. Admission is EUR 3.80 and EUR 3.00 for students. It should also be noted that they have a wonderful sauna.

There are also several popular swimming areas in lakes and rivers in Munich including in the Isar River, which cuts through Munich. For those wanting to swim in lakes there are Feringasee, Fasaneriesee, Feldmochinger See and Lerchenauer See. Apart from taking a dip they also provide great opportunities for picnicking, sunbathing and just hanging out.

Gyms in Munich

The people of Munich are rather fit, despite the carb heavy cuisine and litres of beer. At last count there were more than 90 major gyms spread across the city which means competition among gym operators can be tough. That of course is good news for anyone wanting a membership. The name of the fitness game is negotiation as many gyms will be prepared to do all sorts of deals.

Many of the gyms are parts of chains and offer different services with some of their premises more spacious than others and including extras. When signing up you should ask whether membership entitles you to entry to the company's other gyms which are often also in other cities.

Germany is slowly making progress with its supermarkets stocking a selection of products from all around the world as well as independent stores stocking a range of products from various countries. If you're not able to find certain products it may be worth looking at a specialty store. Here is a small list of stores throughout the city.

American:

Karstadt at HauptbahnhofBahnhofplatz 7, 80335 Munich(089) 55 120

Asian:

Orient ShopRosenheimer Str. 34, 81669 Munich(089) 448 52 51

British:

British All Sorts Rosenheimerstr. 161, 81671 Munich(089) 23 54 92 75

Pomeroy & WinterbottomReichenbachstr. 38, 80469 Munich(089) 20 16 901

Indian:

KohinoorAdolf Kolpingstr 10, 80336 Munich. (089) 55 45 22

Mediterranean:

Mitte Meer Friedenstr. 12 , 81671 Munich(089) 67 80 59 90

Mexican:

Mercado de MéxicoSchulstraße 38, 80634 Munich

Turkish:

Verdi SupermarketLandwehrstr. 46, 80336 München(089) 53 54 87

English bookshops

HugendubelMarienplatz, Fünf Höfe, Karlsplatz, Salvatorplatz

Words' Worth BooksSchellingstr 21

The Munich ReaderyAugustinstr 104

GeobuchRosental 6

Internationale PresseHauptbahnhof

Emily Rasch / Expatica

Emily Rasch is an American expat from Ohio who loves to travel and writes at her blog Servus Munchen.